Sewing machine



Oct. 5 1926.

s. w. AVIS SEWING MACHINE Original Filed July 1. 1920 5 Shee ts-Sheet l Oct. 5 1926.

S. W. AVIS SEWING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 1, 1920 Y/l/ll/I/I/l/ll,

Oct. 5 1926.

- s. w. AVIS SEWING MACHINE Original Filed July 1. 192,0 5 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 5, 1926. 1,602,143

S. W. AVIS SEWING MACHINE Original Filed July 1. 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fly. 10.

Oct. 5 1926. 1,602,143

s. w. AVIS SEWING MACHINE Original Filed July 1, 1920 '5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

umran stares Parana caries.

SEWING MACHINE.

7 Application filed July 1, 1920, Serial No. 393,223. Renewed March 12, 1926.

This invention relates more particularly to those sewing machines which have a needle and two loopers that stitch with two or three threads and are commonly known as overseam machines.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this class with mechanisms which are simple, cheap, and durable, which are easily adjusted so the machine will be capable of stitching a large'variety of work, which are located so as to permit maximum freedom in the manipulation of the work, and which are designed so they can be run at very high speeds with a minimum expenditure of power and without objectionable vibration, and produce a stitch of de-' sired uniformity on different thicknesses of material.

These objects are attained by designing the mechanisms which actuate the stitch forming needle and loopers, and the work controlling feed dogs, presser foot and trimmer so that there are no unnecessary parts and motions, but few rectilinear movements, and short reciprocatory movements, and arranging such operative mechanisms in substantial bearings on a firm support which will absorb vibration, below the work plate where they are out of the way and can be entirely enclosed in a tight dust and lint excluding casing which will hold oil and thus permit free splash lubrication of all joints and surfaces in frictional contact, thereby eliminating as much as possible objectionable inertia forces and friction and permitting the machine to be run at very high speed with but slight wear.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a plan of the machine that embodies the invention. Fig. 2 shows a side View of the same. Fig. 3 shows a front View. Fig. 4 shows on larger scale a vertical section on the plane of the cam shaft as indicated by the dotted line 44 on Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a plan with the work plate removed. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 66 on Fig.

4 5 showing the needle mechanism. Fig. 7 isa vertical section on the line 7-7 on Fig. 5 showing the trimming mechanism. Fig. 8 is a side view of a looper and its carrier. Fig. 9 is an edge view of the looper and its carrier. Fig. 10 is a vertical section through the trimming mechanism on the plane of line 101O on Fig. 5. Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the feed dog mechanism on line 11-11 on Fig. 4. Fig. 12 is a view of the front feed dog carrier and its operating mechanism. Fig. 13 shows a plan of the feed dog reciprocating yoke. Fig. 14 is a vertical section through the feed dog oscillating mechanism. Fig. 15 shows the feed dogs and top holding plate separated. Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of the needle and loopers in the various relations whlch they bear to each other during stitching.

In the machine illustrated the needle, loopers, feed dogs and trimmer are all actuated from a single rotatory shaft 1 which s supported below the work plate 2 with its axis parallel with the line of feed of the work to be stitched on the machine. This shaft is supported near one end' by anti.- friction bearings 3, near the middle by antifriction bearings 4, and near the other end by anti-friction bearings 5 held in a cast iron skeleton bed frame 6 which is enclosed in a tight casing 7 that is adapted to hold a supply of lubricant. On the end of the shaft outside of the casing is apulley 8 which may be driven by belt or motor, as desired. In the interior of the casing the shaft carries a drum 9 with a cam groove 10 in its periphery. Lying in this cam groove is'a roll 11 on the lower end of a lever 12 which projects downward within the caslng from and is clamped on a squared section of one end of the conical arbor 13 that is fitted in a long tapering bearing in the needle carrier block 14 which is secured to the top of the bed frame, Figs. 4, 5, 6. Extending upwardly from the other end of the arbor through the block and a slot in the work plate is the needle carrier 15, in the upper end of which the slabbed shank of the curved needle 16 is clamped by the screw 17. This cam groove is so shaped that it oscillates the needle carrier at the proper intervals to swing the needle point down through and return it out of the usual opening in the needle plate 18 that is set flush with the work plate. The oscillatory movement of the needle carrier arbor is slight and the bearing is long so there is verytapered hearings in the looper carrier block 27 that is fastened to the top of the bed frame. The looper carriers are drawn back into the bearings by adjusting nuts 28 and are secured by clamping nuts 29 at one end of the block with the collars lying against the other end of the block, Figs. 4, 7. The loopers 30 and 31 are bent wires with eyes or hooks in their upper ends and they have their lower slabbed ends clamped in transverse holes made diametrically through the larger ends of the looper carriers. by screws 32 and 33 that are turned in axially through the looper carriers against the slabbed ends of the loopers which extend radially into the carriers, Fig. 9. The loopers pass from the carriers through an opening 34 near the end of the looper carrier block which opening is opposite portions of the journal bearings at the larger ends of the carriers and not open to the interior of the casing so that lubricant cannot escape through the opening, Fig. 4. An opening is made through the side of the casing so that the carrier adjusting and clamping nuts and the looper clamping screws can be reached by a wrench, and this opening is covered by that is fastened to the casing, Figs. 7 14.

The rocker arms are very short and the loop ers are long, consequently the looper carriers have but little oscillatory motion and as the carrier bearings are long the carriers can be run very rapidly with but slight friction and wear.

The needle swings down and up through the needle opening in the needle plate in a plane parallel with the line of feed, While the loopers oscillate in planes transverse to the line of feed, the lower looper oscillating below the needle plate and the upper looper swinging from beneath around one side over the top of the needle plate, Figs. 5, 7.

The needle and looper cams may be so timedand related that starting from its highest position, during ninety degrees of the cycle, the needle descends half-way, the upper looper swings over to the right from its highest position to its lowest position, and the lower looper remains stationary at the left. During the next ninety degrees the needle descends to its lowest position and both the loopers dwell. During the following ninety degrees the needle rises half-way, the upper looper dwells in its lowest position and the lower looper swings over to the right. The last ninety degrees of the cycle the needle rises to its highest position, the lower looper swings back to the left and the upper looper swings up and over toward the left. These various positions are indicated by the diagrams, and while the movements of the loopers are not exactly ninetv degrees apart they are approximately so. Fig. 16.

On the shaft 1 near one end is a cam 36 which actuates the front toothed feed a plate 35'.

carrier block, Fig. 7. Projecting downward from the rear feed dog carrier in front of the feed dog block are a pair of lugs 41, into the opening between which extends a tooth 42 projecting upward from a fork 43 that is mounted on a stud 44 projecting from the raised front end 45 of the bed frame, Figs. 4, 14. This fork straddles the cam so that the rotation of the cam oscillates the fork andcauses the rear feed dog carrier to rock on its longitudinal axis.

The front feed dog is attached to a carrier 46 which has an angular lower surface that fits in an angular cavity in the top of the rear feed dog carrier. The upper surface of the front feed dog carrier has a cylindrical cavity, and fitting in this and retaining the carrier in place is a plate v47 that is fastened to the under side of the workplate, Figs. 4, 14, 15. The under curved surface of the rear feed'dog carrier and the upper curved surface of the front feed dog carrier are concentric. As a result of this construction the front feed dog carrier is oscillated with the rear feed dog carrier, but is free to be moved longitudinally independently of the rear feed dog carrier. The oscillatory movements are small and the bearings are obtained and the changes made while the machine is running. A section of the cam 36 is embraced by a yoke 48-, that is located in an opening in the bed plate in front of the fork, in such manner that the rotation of the cam moves the yoke up and down. A

roller 49 mounted on the bed frame extends into an opening between two arms 50 which project from the bottom of the yoke and as.- slsts 1n guidlng the yoke. The connections yoke on each side has a roller 51 which 0c cupies a radial slot 52 in the face of an adjustable bell crank plate 53 that has a long tapering arbor 54, Figs. 11, 13. Each of these arbors is'mounted ecoentrically in a cylinder 55 that is rotatably located in an between the yoke and feed dog carriers are similar but independently adjustable. The

56 projecting in from the At the outer end of each cylinder in an opening in the casing is a disk 57 with a handle 58, and thrusting between the cylinders and disks are springs 59. The cylinders and disks have flanges 60 and are frictionally retained in position by plates 61 fastened to the casing outside of the flanges, Fig. 11. handles the cylinders may be rotated in order to change the angular .relations of the axes of the bell crank plates to the axes of the rollers on the yoke which engage and oscillate the crank plates as the yoke moves up and down.

Lying in a curved slot 62 in the face of each crank plate is a roller 63 on an angle lever 64, Figs. 11 and 12. One angle lever has a' solid arbor 65 and the other a tubular arbor 66 that surrounds the solid arbor and is fitted in a bearing in the upwardly extending end 45 of the bed frame, Figs. 4,

opening in a hub side of the casing.

'11. The lever on one side at its upper end has a roller 67 engaging between the walls of an opening 68 in the side near the front end of the rear feed dog carrier. The angle lever on the other a roller 69 engaging between the walls of an opening 70 in the side near the front end of the front feed dog carrier. I

The cam imparts a vertical reciprocation to the yoke. This rocks the bell crank plates which oscillate the angle levers that reciprocate the feed dogs. By turning the cylinders which support the arbors of the bell crank plates and changing the angular relations of the axes of the plates to the axes of the rollers carried by the yoke the reciprocatory movement-s of the feed dogs may be altered at any time without interfering with the running of the machine. lVith the mechanisms described the amount of feed of the dogs and the relations of the movements of the dogs to each other may be varied independently as desired, according to the character of the work being operated upon.

The trimmer has a blade 73 which is normally stationary and a cooperating blade 74 that oscillates with relation to the fixed blade for trimming the edge of the material that is being fed beneath the needle, Figs. 7, 10. These blades are mounted in such a manner that they may be adjusted more or less to one side of the plane of the needle or line of stitch or swung over away from in front of the needle and loopers.

The fixed blade 73 is a curved plate which is clamped in a curved groove in a housing 75 that is attached to the front end of a sleeve 76. This sleeve is held in the upper part of a yoke-shaped frame 77 which is pivotally mounted on an arbor 78 secured in an upward extension 79 on one side near the rear of the bed frame, Figs. 6, 10.

By means of the face plate 88.

side at its upper end has parts supported The oscillatory blade 74 is a curved plate clamped in a curved slot in the head 80 of a rocker arm 81 which projects from a shaft 82 that passes through the sleeve 76, Figs. 6, 10 rear end of the shaft 82 is connected by a link 84 with a bell crank lever 85 that is pivotally mounted on the arbor 78 and has its lower end connected by link 86 with an eccentric 87 keyed on the driving shaft back of the needle and looper cam drum, Figs. 6, 10. The rotation of the eccentric through the lever, link and arm rocks the shaft 82 and oscillates the trimming blade 74 for cutting when the needle is down.

Covering the front of the housing 75 is a The housing has a projection 89 which is hinged to a link 90 that is provided with a handle 91 and is pivotally mounted on a plate 92 secured to the main casing, Figs. 5, 7. The axis of the hinged connection between the projection 89 and link 90 coincides with the axis of the connection between the shaft arm 83 and the link 84, and theaxis of the pivot of the link 90 coincides with the axis of the connection between the link 84 and the bell crank lever 85, thus the trimming blades are mounted in by a parallel link motion mechanism. By turning the handle 91 the trimming blades may be adjusted in a sub. stantially horizontal plane toward orfrom the line of feed of cloth for. varying the distance between the line of needle punctures and the edge to parallel motion adjustment the cut-ting edges of the trimmer remain practically in the same horizontal plane for all desired variations in width of seam and thus will leave the cloth on the needle plate and make a uniform out. By turning the handle 91 way down the housing containing the trimming blades may be swung over to one side out of the way so as to permit free access to the points of the needle and loopers for threading or other purposes. "In the side of the main casing is a curved slot 93, Figs. 7, 10, through which the oscillatory trimmer shaft may pass when the housing and frame are swung over for adjustment or for moving the cutters out of the way, and secured to the shaft 82 inside of the plate 92 is a curved shutter 94 which covers the slot 93, Figs. 5, 10.

The presser foot 95 is on the lower endof a finger 96 which is hinged to the end of an arm 97 that is pivoted to the side wall of a cover 98 that rises above the work plate on one side near the rear of the machine, Figs. 1, 2, 4. A spring 99 secured to the cover 98 presses against a stud 100 projecting from the arm and holds the presser foot down. The tension of this spring is regulated by the screw 1.01, Figs. 1, 2, 4. The finger pivot 102 extends into a pivotally mounted An arm 83 which projects from the be trimmed. With such a.

' free and unobstructed which permits a ready rial to the mechanisms are socket in the end of the and is held drawn in to normal positiomfwitha tongue 103 on one part entering a groove 104 on the other part, by means of a spring 105 which surrounds the pivot, Fig. 11. When it is desired to turn up the presser foot, the finger is drawn out so as to disengage the tongue from the groove.

Secured to the front end of the cam shaft is a disk 106 of such size and shape that will dip into lubricant in the bottom of the cas ing and throw it onto the active mechanisms in the front end of the machine. Any suitable and common form of thread guides, tension devices, and take-ups may e employed as appears desirable.

With this machine the drivin shaft is parallel with the line of feed an there are very few reciprocating parts. ing mechanisms are located below the work [plate in a tight casing which may contain oil so that all of the joints will be constantly splash lubricated and kept free from dust and lint, a condition only practicable where enclosed below the work plate. The top of the work plate is and rapid manipulation of the material being stitched. The feed of the dogs may be independently varied according to the matebe stitched and the seam to be made, which feed may be changed as is necessary at any time to prevent the material from being stretched or from being puckered while stitched. By oscillating the eed dogs transversely at the end of the feed stroke their teeth are disengaged from the material or any loose fibers without danger of drawing back and causing the material to Wrinkle. The mechanisms are simple, light in weight, cheap to manufacture, the bearings are large and all of the movements are very small, consequently there is but little wear, and all joints and bearings are thoroughy lubricated so that the machine may be run at very high speed without overheating.

The invention claimed is 1 1. In an overseam sewing machine having a work plate, the combination'with a longitudinally reciprocatory work feed, an oscillatory thread needle pivoted below the work plate, and a plurality of oscillatory thread loopers pivoted below the work plate, of a single shaft rovided with cams for actuating said feed: needle and loopers, said shaft being located below and extending par- 7 allel with the path of feed of the Work operated upon by said feed.

22 In an overseam sewing machine having I a work plate, the combination with an oscillatory needle carrier pivoted below the work plate, a pair of oscillatory looper carrier's pivoted below the workplate, and a of oscillatory and reciprocatory feed d e arr supported below the work plate,

The actuat- Ling the oscillation of the of a single shaft located below and extend ing para lei with the line of feed of'the work stitched by the machine, and came on said shaft engaging and actuating said carriers I catory and oscillatory feed dog carrier, of a cam shaft locatd below and extending arallel to the reciprocatory pathof th'e eed dog carrier, a cam on the shaft en aging and causing the, oscillation of the nee e' carrier, a cam on the shaft engaging and causlooper carrier, and a cam on the shaft for imparting a reciprocatory and oscillatory movement to the feed dog carrier,

5. In an overseam sewing machine :the combination of a needle mounted tooscillate in the arc of a circle, loopers mounted to oscillate across the plane of oscillation of the needle, a feed dog carrier mounted to reciprocate longitudinally in a vertical plane, that is parallel with the plane of os- 'cillation of the needle, a main shaft located below and extending parallel to the path of the feed dog carrier, a cam on the shaft engaging and causing said oscillation of the needle, a cam on the shaft engaging and causing said oscillation of the loopers, and a cam on the shaft for imparting said reciprocation of the feed dog carrier.

6. In an overseam sewing machine the combination with work feeding means, a thread looper arranged to oscillate below the feeding means and a thread looper arranged to oscillate from below around an above the feed means, of an oscillatory needle carrier, a cam shaft located below and extending in a line parallel with the plane of oscillation of the needle carrier and transversely to the plane of oscillation and causing the oscillation of the loopers.

7. In an overseam sewing machine having a work plate the combination with the needle and work feeding means, of a tapering journal mounted in a stationary bearing to oscillate on its longitudinal axis, a looper projecting radially from said journal and arranged to oscillate point first in a plane at right angles to the axis of the journal, a cam shaft located below and having its axis extending parallel to the line of the work feed and in a line transverse to the plane of oscillation of the looper, and a cam on said shaft engaging a part of and causing the oscillation of said looper journal.

8. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of an oscillatory needle carrier, a'cani engaging and oscillating the needle carrier, an oscillatory and reciprocatory feed dog carrier, a cam for oscillating and reciprocating the feed do carrier, oscillatory looper carriers with radially extending loopers mounted to oscillate transversely to the path of reciprocatory movement of the feed dog carrier, a cam engaging and oscillating the looper carriers, and a shaft bearing said cams, said shaft being located below with the feed ath of the feed dog carrier, parallel with t e plane of the path of the needle carrier and transversely to the planes of movement of the loopers.

9. In an overseam sewing machine, the combination with an oscillatory needle carrier, an oscillatory looper carrier, and a feed dog carrier mounted to reciprocate and also oscillate on its longitudinal axis, of a shaft provided with cams for actuating said carriers, said shaft extending parallel with the oscillatory path of the needle carrier,

arallel with the oscillatory axis of the ooper carrier and parallel with the oscillatory and reciprocatory axis of the feed dog carrier.

10. In an overseam sewing machine the combination with an oscillatory needle carrier, oscillatory looper carriers and reciprocatory and oscillator feed dog carriers, of a cam shaft located below and extending parallel to the feeding path of the feed dog carrier, oscillatory axis of the looper carrier and reciprocatory axis of the feed dog carrier, cams on said shaft for actuating said carriers, and means enclosing oil tight said shaft, cams, looper carrier and feed dog carrier.

11. In an overseam sewing machine having a work plate, the combination with thread looping and work feeding means, of a rotatable tapering arbor located below the work plate, with its axis transverse to the line of work feed, an oscillatory needle carrier attached to and extending upward from said arbor and oscillating longitudinally with relation to the line of work feed, an arm attached to and projecting downward from said arbor, a cam shaft with its axis extendin below and at right angles to the axis 0 said rotatable arbor, and a cam on said shaft engaging said downwardly extending arm whereby said cam oscillates the arm, rocks the arbor and oscillates the needle carrier.

12. In an overseam sewing machine the combination with thread looping and work and extending parallelfceding means, extending parallel with the line of feed of the work stitched by the machine, a cam on said shaft, a tapering journal extending above and at right angles to' the shaft, an arm projecting downward from one end of said journal and oscillated by the cam, and a needle carrying arm projecting upward from the other end of said journal.

13. In an overseam sewing machine the combination with a needle carrier and a reciprocatory feed dog carrier, of a cam shaft located below and extending parallel to the path of the feed dog carrier, an oscillatory looper carrier with its axis above and parallel with the axis of the cam shaft, a rocker arm on the end of the looper carrier, and a cam on the cam shaft engaging said rocker arm.

14. In an overseam sewing machine the combination with a needle carrier and a reciprocatory feed dog carrier, of a cam shaft located below and extending parallel to the path of the feed dog carrier, a pair of'tapering journals extending above and parallel with the cam shaft, rocker arms extending from one end of said journals, thread loopers extending from the same end of said journals, and a cam on the cam shaft for oscillating said rocker arms.

15. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of a needle carrier, a cam for oscillating the needle carrier, two looper carriers, a single cam engaging and oscillating both looper carriers, feed dog carriers, cams for oscillating and reciprocating the feed dog carriers, a shaft extending parallel with the line of feed and bearing sa1d cams, and an oil-tight casing enclosing said shaft and cams.

16. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of a needle carrier, a cam for oscillating the needle carrier, two looper carriers, a single cam engaging and oscillating both looper carriers, feed dog carriers, cams for oscillating and reciprocating the feed dog carriers, a trimmer, a camfor oscillating the trimmer, a shaft extending parallel with the line of feed and bearing said cams, and an oil-tight casing enclosing said shaft and cams.

17. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of a needle, needle operating mechanism, two looper carriers mounted to oscillate independently of each other, a single cam engaging and operating both loopers, feed dogs, feed dog operating mechanism, and an oil-tight casing enclosing said cam and operating mechanisms.

18. Ina sewing machine the combination of a needle carrier, mechanism for oscillating the needle carrier, looper carriers, mechanism for oscillating the looper carriers, feed dog carriers, mechanism for reciprocatingthefeed dog carriers, a shaft and of a shaft located .below and cams for actuating said mechanisms, an oil tight casing enclosing said mechanisms an cams, and an oil throwing disk attached to the end of said cam shaft.

19. In an overscam sewing machine the combination of a work plate, an oscillatory needle carrier pivotally mounted below the work plate, needle carrier oscillating mechanism, two independently oscillatorly; looper carriers pivotally mounted below t e work plate, a single cam engaging and actuating both looper carriers, feed dogs, feed dog operating mechanism, and a casin enclosing the said cam and operating mec anisms.

20. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of a work plate, an oscillatory needle carrier work plate, in ependently oscillatory looper carriers pivotally mounted below the work plate, feed dogs, and a shaft extending parallel with the line of work feed and provided with cams engaging said carriers.

21. In an overseam sewing machine the combination of a work plate, an oscillatory needle carrier pivotally mounted below the work plate, two independent oscillatory looper carriers pivotally mounted below the work plate, two independently reciprocatory feed dogs, a single shaft extending parallel with the reciprocatory movements of the feed dogs, mounted below the work plate,

ivotally mounted below the L combination of a work plate,

and cams on said shaft closely associated with and actuating the needle carrier, loo er carriers, and feed dog reciprocating mec amsm.

22. In an overseam sewing machine the comblnation of a work plate, an oscillatory needle carrier pivotall mounted below the work plate, two in ependent oscillatory looper carriers pivotally mounted below the work plate, two reci rocatory feed do means for adjustin t e movements of fife feed do s indepen ently of each other, a single s aft extending parallel with the reciprocatory movements of the feeddogs, mounted below the work plate, and cams on said shaft actuating the needle carrier, loo er carriers, and fee dog reciprocating mech anism.

23. In an overseam sewing machine the an oscillatory needle carrier pivotall mounted belowthe work plate, two in ependent oscillatory looper carriers pivotally mounted below the work plate, two independently reciprocatory but coincidently oscillating feed dogs, a single shaft extending parallel with the reciprocatory movements of the feed dogs, mounted below the work plate, and cams on said shaft actuating the needle carrier, looper carriers, and feed dogs.

SAMUEL W. AVIS. 

